Leerdam
 flag |
 coat of arms |
| province |
-Flag.svg){kind=small} Utrecht
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| local community | Vijfheerenlanden |
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Area - land - water |
34.42 km 2 33.78 km 2 0.64 km 2 |
| Residents | 21,158 (Sep 30, 2018) |
| Coordinates | 51 ° 54 ' N , 5 ° 5' E |
| Important traffic route |
  
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| prefix | 0345 |
| Postcodes | 4141-4143, 4145, 4163, 4247 |
| Website | Homepage of Leerdam |
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Leerdam ( ) is a small town and former municipality in the Dutch province of Utrecht . According to the CBS, it had 21,158 inhabitants on September 30, 2018 , including the village of Schoonrewoerd, which belongs to the municipality. The total area of the municipality was 34.42 km². On January 1, 2019, the municipality (previously belonging to the province of Zuid-Holland ) was merged with Zederik in the province of Zuid-Holland and Vianen in the province of Utrecht to form the new municipality of Vijfheerenlanden and has since been part of the province of Utrecht.
location
Leerdam is located in the east of the province, between Gorinchem and Geldermalsen ( Gelderland province ), on the Linge River .
history
Already in 1143 the knight family Van der Leede, which emerged from the house of van Arkel , ruled the eponymous glory Ter Leede . Otto van Arkel gave the City Leerdam 1407 the town charter .
He had a kind of citadel built on the banks of the Linge , which was destroyed in 1573. The last Van Arkel died in 1428. The noble family Van Egmond acquired Leerdam and made it a county. When Countess Anna von Egmond married Wilhelm von Oranien in 1551 , Leerdam came to the House of Orange . The title of “Count” or “Countess of Leerdam” is still one of the titles of the King or Queen of the Netherlands .
In 1573 Leerdam joined the uprising against the Spaniards (see: Eighty Years War ). Their revenge was terrible: Spanish troops devastated the castle and town.
In 1765 the first glass blowing factory came to Leerdam. In 1915 the Royal Glass Factory was founded by the architect Karel PC de Bazel , among others . This still existing industry, with its own glass museum, manufactured not only simple bottles as mass-produced goods, but also art objects in small series and unique items , among others by the artists Chr. Johannes Lannooy (1881–1948) and Andries Dirk Copier ( 1901-1991).
economy
The glass industry is economically important, especially bottles and art objects made of glass are produced here. In addition, building materials are manufactured, and agriculture also makes up a not inconsiderable share.
Sightseeing and tourism
Leerdam is above all a glass city . The glass museum, located a little outside the city, and the glass-blowing workshop ( Glascentrum Leerdam ) set up for tourists by the marina in front of the southern city wall are the main attractions. Foreign glass artists also have the opportunity to work here and exhibit their work.
The former old people's home from 1770 " Hofje van Mevrouw van Aerden" with gardens, built on the ruins of the city palace on the Linge, can be visited with a guide. In the rain room there are some paintings by well-known masters ( Frans Hals , Jacob van Ruysdael and others). There is a late Gothic church and some old houses in the town.
There is a marina on the Linge. The Rhine Cycle Path leads, among other things, over the Lingedeich, from Geldermalsen via Leerdam to Gorinchem .
In the vicinity, down on the so-called Diefdijk (Diebesdeich), which forms the border between the provinces of Utrecht and Gelderland , is the Schoonrewoerdse Wiel , a small lake (bird reserve) created by a dike breach. This area is very suitable for cycling tours.
traffic
Leerdam is on the Dordrecht - Geldermalsen - Tiel small train line .
A 6 km long road leads from the A15 Rotterdam - Tiel - Arnheim motorway to Leerdam.
Leerdam train station
The Leerdam station is a station on the railway line Elst-Dordrecht , which opened on December 1, 1883rd The station has two buildings, but today only one is used as a station building, the other currently as a restaurant. There are plans to open a second train station in Leerdam, Leerdam West train station . The station currently has two platform tracks and is frequented by around 1575 passengers per day (2006).
Station building
The "New Station Building" by Cees Douma from 1987.
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The old station is a smaller version of the Sliedrecht station . In 1987 a new one was opened right next to the old building next to the town hall. The design is by the Dutch architect and Bouwmeester NS Cees Douma . It was his last train station design before he retired.
Trains
- ( Arriva ) Dordrecht - Gorinchem - Leerdam - Geldermalsen
politics
fusion
On January 1, 2019, Leerdam merged with Zederik ( Zuid-Holland ) and Vianen ( Utrecht ) to form the new municipality of Vijfheerenlanden . This resulted in a decision of November 10, 2015. Since the municipalities of Leerdam and Zederik were in the province of Zuid-Holland and Vianen was in the province of Utrecht, the first thing to do was to decide which province the new municipality should belong to. The majority voted for the province of Utrecht.
Distribution of seats in the municipal council
The local elections on March 19, 2014 resulted in the following distribution of seats:
| Political party | Seats | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 2006 | 2010 | 2014 | |
| Leerdam 2000 | 5 | 3 | 4th | 6th |
| PvdA | 4th | 6th | 4th | 3 |
| CDA | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| SGP | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| ChristenUnie | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| VVD | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Politieke Christelijke Combinatie | 0 | - | - | - |
| total | 19th | 19th | 19th | 19th |
Due to the merger on January 1, 2019, the elections for the council of the new municipality of Vijfheerenlanden took place on November 21, 2018.
mayor
Tjerk Bruinsma ( PvdA ) was the provisional mayor of the municipality from November 1, 2016 until the municipality was dissolved . His colleagues included the alderman Bart Bruggeman ( CDA ), Arie Keppel ( SGP ), Cees Taal (PvdA), Teus Meijdam ( VHL Lokaal ) as well as the community secretary Nanette van Ameijde and her deputy Stefan Vreeburg .
Town twinning
Trivia
The city gives its name to the Leerdammer cheese .
Personalities
- Gerrit Grijns (1865–1944), co-discoverer of the B 1 vitamin
- Arno Brok (* 1968), politician, VVD
Web links
- Website of the municipality (Dutch)
- Website of the new municipality (Dutch)
- Glass Museum website (Dutch)
- Leerdam station In: stationsweb.nl (Dutch)
- Leerdam In: treinstationinfo.nl (Dutch)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand . In: StatLine . Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek , accessed January 1, 2019 (Dutch)
- ^ Station Leerdam , stationsweb.nl
- ↑ Aantal in en uitstappers (2006) , treinreiziger.nl
- ↑ Het fusietraject ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: vijfheerenlanden.nl , accessed on June 3, 2018 (Dutch)
- ↑ Fusiegemeente Vijfheerenlanden in the province of Utrecht. In: AD . De Persgroep Nederland , October 6, 2017, accessed June 3, 2018 (Dutch).
- ↑ Result of the local elections: 2010 2014 , accessed on June 3, 2018 (Dutch)
- ↑ Allocation of seats in the municipal council: 2002 2006 2010 2014 , accessed on June 3, 2018 (Dutch)
- ↑ Herindelingen Kiesraad , accessed on June 3, 2018 (Dutch)
- ↑ Tjerk Bruinsma waarnemend burgemeester Leerdam. In: AD . De Persgroep Nederland , September 16, 2016, accessed June 3, 2018 (Dutch).
- ↑ Samenstelling van het college Gemeente Leerdam, accessed on June 3, 2018 (Dutch)
- ↑ About Leerdammer Leerdammer (German)
